Vacuum cleaner



April 1'8, 1939.

w c. REED VACUUM CLEANER Filed Sept. 8, 1936 Inventor,

' W C; Reed v MW HTML,

Attorneys.

Patented Apr. 18, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

My invention relates to a vacuum cleaner and is especially intended for use for the cleaning of upholstery of automobiles.

It is an object of this invention to provide a small vacuum cleaner which can be easily carried and manipulated with one hand and is operated by means of compressed air, thus making it available for use in gasoline and oil service stations where air under pressure for inflating tires is available.

In particular, my invention contemplates a spherical filter chamber terminating at one end in a suction nozzle and in the other of the air outlet coming from a suction-creating injector nozzle which is connected to a source of air under pressure. The dust-laden air sucked in through the suction nozzle is filtered by means of a series of radial filter screens in the filter chamber. The dust collected in the filter chamber may be periodically removed by reversing the flow of air through the injector nozzle.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of the specification, I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical, cross sectional view of my improved vacuum cleaner.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view on the lines 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; both views land 3 being taken in the direction of the arrows indicated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detailed view in elevation of the air diffuser.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a filter screen unit prior to its folding, on a diametrical line.

Referring to the drawing, indicates a filter chamber which, as shown, is spherical in shape and consists of an upper semi-spherical shell 2 and a lower semi-spherical shell 3, the latter connected to and integral with a suction tube 1 terminating in an angular suction nozzle 5 which is preferably made of a separate unit and connected to the suction tube d by a slip joint made of a connecting sleeve 6 against which the lower end of suction tube Ll tightly fits. The suction nozzle 5 is provided at the upper end with a reduced nipple i fitting the inside of sleeve 6, and provides a seat for an inwardly opening check valve 8,

which may be a thin plate of metal fastened by means of an ear to sleeve 6 by a screw 9.

Centrally disposed in filter chamber I and in axial alignment with suction tube 4 is an injector tube it preferably made of an upper section II and a lower, somewhat thinner section l2, whose upper end embraces the lower end of section H and may be securely fastened thereto by welding. The bore of the lower end of section l I fiares outwardly as at l3 to co-act with an injector nozzle M mounted in section ii of the injector tube. The injector nozzle, as shown, terminates in a conical upper end and terminates in a screwthreaded nipple it at its lower end. The intermediate portion is cylindrical as at ll, having at its lower end a flange it. The lower end of lower section 92 of the injector tube fits'snugly against the cylindrical portion ii of the injector nozzle and abuts against fiange it. The section I 2 is also provided with a series of suction openings 69 adjacent to the injector nozzle it.

The outer end of injector tube ii is screwthreaded and projects through a screw-threaded opening of shell 2 for the reception of a nut 20 which, in cooperation with a collar 26 welded to the section it, looks the injector tube in position. At the extreme outer end of the injector tube section ii is an air diiiuser 22 comprising a perforated cap of sheet metal which may be removably fastened to section it by'means of a nut 23 soldered to cap 22. 25 is a rubber gasket providing an air-tight joint between collar 2i and shell 2.

The threaded nipple E6 of the injector nozzle provides a ground joint connection in cooperation with a nut 25 screw threaded on nipple it for a pipe 26 connected to a flexible hose 2'! preferably with a manually controlled shut-off valve 25 and leading to. a source of air under pressure, not shown, by means of a union 29 passing through shell 2. The union 29 may be the type shown in connection with injector nozzle l4 and is also provided with a gasket 3]! to provide an air-tight joint.

The filter chamber l is divided into a series of filtering compartments by means of semi-circular filtering screens extending from the injector tube it toward the inner walls of the filter chamber I, dividing the same into spherical segments. As shown on the drawing, 1' have provided six of these radial filter screens 38. Each is made of a circular metal screen provided with diametrically disposed fastening ears or lugs 32. Each screen unit Si is bent on the diameter passing through the ears 32 at an angle of sixty degrees to form two semi-circular screen sections and assembled as shown in Fig. 2 so that the semi-circular sections of each screen unit will lie flat against the sections of adjacent units. The filter screens 3| are completely'covered with a fine filtering cloth 33, care being taken to cover also the peripheral edges of the filter screens 3| so that any air passing from the filter chamber I through suction openings l9 into the injector tube I0 must first pass the filter cloth 33. The screens 3| are radiallyarranged on injector tube l0 with the ears 32 closely adjacent thereto. An upper locking ring 34 clamps the upper ears 32 tightly against injector tube section II while a lower clamping ring 35 clamps the lower ears 32 against nut 25.

Operation.The cleaner assembled as shown in Fig. 1 and connected to a source of air under pressure, such as is usually available from 100 to 150 pounds at service stations, is carried by one hand, the latter gripping the suction tube 4 just below the filter chamber and the suction nozzle is applied in the usual manner to the upholstery of the automobile to be cleaned. It should be noted here that suction nozzle 5 may be angularly adjusted by rotating it on its connecting sleeve 6 but ordinarily such an adjustment will seldom be necessary. The air under pressure passing through pipe 25 to injector nozzle M will issue from the tip of the nozzle and out through injector tube |0 through the air diffuser 22. The injector action of the nozzle M will create a partial vacuum or suction adjacent the conical tip thereof, causing air to rush into the injector tube |0 through suction openings I9 from the filter chamber l and, in turn, causing the air to flow upwardly through suction nozzle 5 and suction tube 4 to the filter chamber. In passing to suction openings IS the dust-laden air must pass through the filter cloth 33 disposed in the filtering compartments as described so that none but pure air will pass through the injector tube I0 and out through air diffuser 22. Check valve 8 prevents any dust that might be shaken loose from the filter cloths 33 from falling in the suction nozzle When desired to remove the dust collected in filter chamber 2| it is merely necessary to close the perforations in air diffuser 22 by placing the hand over it, whereupon the fiow of air from the injector nozzle M will be reversed and pass outwardly down through suction tube 4 and out of the cleaner, the suction nozzle tip 5 and the sleeve 6 with its check valve 8 having previously been removed, or if desired the upper shell 2 may be removed from the filter chamber by removing screws 36 which look sections 2 and 3 together. It should be noted that when shell 2 is removed the lower part, consisting of the shell 3, the suction tube, and the suction nozzle 5, will be the only parts left so that the dust collected on the filter cloth can quickly and easily be removed.

Various changes may be made by those skilled in the art in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In a vacuum cleaner, a dust filter including a plurality of wire filter screens, each screen when fiat forming substantially a circle and having projecting ears diametrically opposite provided with a fold through the ears and diametrically across the screen, a plurality of the screens being fitted together thereby forming a series of radial screen elements with the foldedportions arranged in a circle and forming substantially 2.

2. In a vacuum cleaner, a dust filter including a plurality of wire filter screens, each having projecting ears from opposite sides and having a fold through the ears and the portion of the screen between the ears on substantially a straight line, there being a plurality of such screens fitted together with the portions outside the fold contiguous and the whole assembly of screens being covered by a filter cloth, means attaching the portions of the wire screens having the ears to an injector tube and injector nozzle assembly and the peripheral portion of the screens being confined in a filter chamber.

3. In a vacuum cleaner as claimed in claim 2, the wire filter screens each being substantially circular prior to thefolding and the ears being on diametrically opposite sides, the fold of each screen thus being along a diametrical line includingthe ears.

4. In a vacuum cleaner, a dust filter including a plurality of individual wire filter screens, each being folded to have the portion adjacent the fold extend longitudinally and being constructed and adapted to encircle a cylindrical injector tube and injector nozzle assembly, the portions having the fold being adapted to extend longitudinally of such assembly and spaced thereabout, .the portions extending outwardly from the folds having peripheral edges of individual screens remote from the folds contiguous, an outside filter cloth shaped to conform to the fold of the screens and to the peripheral portions and covering the peripheral edges, the screens and the filter cloth being adapted toconform to and fit the inside of a spherical shell whereby between each pair of contiguous screen portions there are provided segmental spaces somewhat similar to the segments of a sphere providing spaces for the accumulation of dust in such spaces.

5. In a dust filter including a plurality of indi-.

vidual filter screens, each having a fold and being formed from a flat screen sheet, the screens of each individual sheet being assembled with the folds extending longitudinally and spaced around a circle and adapted for attachment to a cylindrical injector tube and injector nozzle assembly,

ing spaces forming substantially segments of a sphere for the accumulation of dust.

6. A vacuum cleaner comprising in combination a spherical shell having a suction tube, an opening and injector nozzle and injector tube assembly connected at the said opening to discharge outside of said opening, a screen means having wire screens with longitudinal folds, the folds being spaced around the said assembly, means attaching the folded portions of the screens to said assembly, the portion of the screens extending outwardly from the folds being arranged in pairs of contiguous portions, a filter cloth covering the edges of the peripheral portions of the pairs of outwardly extending screens also covering the outsides of the screens and the'filter cloth having folds conforming substantially in shape to the longitudinal folds of the screens, the screens and the filter cloth being shaped at their outer edges to contact and conform to the inside of the spherical shell thereby forming a. series of spaces extending outwardly from the folds to the shell for accumulation of dust on the outside of the filter cloth.

WALTER CROUCH REED. 

